Ayanami retained an escort armament of 3-inch/50 guns, Hedgehog, ASW torpedo-launching equipment, and depth-charge throwers. The four 21-inch torpedo tubes added a separate anti-ship capability. The class remained designated as hunter-killer anti-submarine destroyers, so the larger torpedoes widened its operational options within that declared role. Seven ships gave the design more weight in the growing fleet than the preceding pairs of transferred and domestically built destroyers.
Notable Point · 10:24-12:25
Ayanami adds anti-ship torpedoes to a submarine-hunting escort
Four 21-inch torpedo tubes restored surface-attack firepower alongside Ayanami's hunter-killer ASW role.